Published On 30 Mar 2026
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told Al Jazeera that the Strait of Hormuz will “reopen one way or another” in the wake of the US-Israeli war with Iran.
The exclusive interview on Monday came as speculation has grown over a possible US troop deployment in Iran and as the effective closure of strait continues to roil global oil markets.
US boots on the ground would represent a new phase in the grinding conflict, which began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes on Iran, even as US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that the US was pursuing diplomacy with Iran.
Rubio again maintained there were “ongoing direct talks between parties in Iran and the United States, primarily conducted through intermediaries”.
Iran has repeatedly denied that talks were ongoing. Pakistan on Sunday said it would host direct talks “in the coming days for a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the ongoing conflict”.
Rubio added that Trump “has always preferred diplomacy and seeks to reach a resolution – something that could have been achieved earlier”.
The Trump administration had previously pursued indirect talks with Iran to curtail its nuclear programme. One round of talks was derailed last year with Israel’s 12-day war against Iran, which ended with US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facility.
A second round of diplomacy was underway when the US and Israel began the latest war.
Nuclear and ballistic weapons
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Rubio further called on Iran to take “concrete steps” to end its nuclear programme and stop “manufacturing drones and missiles”.
He accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons to “threaten and blackmail the world”, a claim Tehran has for years denied, maintaining its nuclear programme was only for civilian purposes.
On Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported Trump was considering a special forces operation to seize enriched uranium stored in Iran. Military experts have warned throughout the war that US and Israeli airstrikes alone would not be able to destory’s Iran’s capacity.
In a statement to Al Jazeera, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt did not deny the report, but said: “It’s the job of the Pentagon to make preparations in order to give the Commander-in-Chief maximum optionality. It does not mean the President has made a decision.”
Rubio said Iran “must also cease sponsoring terrorism and halt the production of weapons that threaten its neighbours,” he said. “The short-range missiles launched by Iran serve only one purpose: to attack Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain.”
Turning to the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively closed to open traffic, Rubio voiced optimism it would be reopened.
“The Strait of Hormuz will reopen one way or another once our military operation in Iran is over,” Rubio said. “The strait will reopen either with Iran’s consent or through an international coalition including the US.”
He threatened “severe consequences” if Iran closes the strait after the fighting ends.
